We the spokespersons of the Presidential Candidate of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP); the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) wish to clear the air on the matter of the presidential debate organised by NN24 so that our teeming supporters and Nigerians in general will understand and appreciate our position.
We had held series of clear-the-air meetings under the auspices of the organisers at which logical and other arrangements for the debate were exhaustively discussed.
The representative of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Dr. Doyin Okupe, was in attendance and actively participated in all deliberations.
It was at Dr. Okupe’s instance that the two dates earlier proffered by the organisers; March 8th and 15th as contained in the memorandum of understanding signed by the three candidates were rejected because according to him, those dates were not convenient for his candidate. Dr. Okupe, on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan, suggested the March 18th date in which the debate was successfully held.
All of us accepted this date not because it was convenient for our Principals, but as our sacrifice to afford Nigerian voters an opportunity to assess and judge the candidates’ programmes as well as personality under the spotlight.
For emphasis, we had to adjust our respective campaign time tables at great logistics costs to us as our sacrifices for the growth of the culture of debate as an essential ingredient of the open society.
We indeed bent backwards for the office of the President even when we are fully aware that the occupant is no more than a co-contestant in the context at it were.
But the there is a limit to which we can subject ourselves to this sheer impunity of the ruling party which they have flunked on our faces as a people in the last 12 years. The PDP has a record of shunning every Presidential debate since 1999.
We are highly suspicious of the celebrated romance with the BON debate by the president Jonathan’s camp which shunned the NN24 debate without an apology. We can only hazard that since most of the agencies organizing the BON debate are government parastatals, the organizers may not be in a position to resist the request for advance questions being given to the debates in which the NN24 agreed with us because they were independent. This does not mean that the men and women running these agencies lack integrity but the awe some power of the presidency may be too much for them.
Our principals being men of dignity with high regard for the people of Nigeria will not be part of such orchestrated charade of a D. Banjis “kokolete” debate.
Like millions of other Nigerians, we consider this behaviour of the president as egotistical, condescending and unbecoming of a man seeking a mandate to govern Nigeria. Leadership entails humility and respect for others.
A situation where the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation deliberately set out to humiliate other Presidential Candidates by reneging on an agreement it proposed is unacceptable to us and the millions of our supporters.
Consequently, we state without ambiguity that our principals will not honour any debate session with president Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 elections as he has arrogantly shunned the credible debate for which we made ourselves available.
Future presidents of Nigeria will have to be more careful in dealing with the feelings of others.

Signed:

Sule Yau Sule
Deputy Director Communications, Shekerau for Nigeria

Yinka Odumakin
Spokesperson for General Muhammedu Buhari

Ibrahim Modibbo
Director of Media and Communications
Ribadu Presidential Campaign Team

Dear Compatriots,

Every great journey in fulfillment of a dream begins with a single step. We have started ours and we invite you to join us to be part of this epochal journey. Our fathers fought and obtained independence for us. Their lofty dreams were built on the promise of a better tomorrow. For the past fifty years, we have hoped and struggled to make those dreams a reality.

Our nation’s recent golden jubilee celebrations, although marred by unfortunate loss of lives, provided the backdrop for a sober reflection on our journey these past fifty years, and also an examination of the policies of the ruling party since 1999. The overwhelming consensus is that we have underperformed given the country’s enormous endowment in both human and material resources. The nation’s social and economic indicators are startlingly weak. Regional and civil conflicts are on the rise, threatening social cohesion and national security. Ordinary Nigerians are beginning to question the value of democracy and even the necessity of staying together as one people in a country where things no longer seem to work.

We are on the threshold of another general election, the fourth since the restoration of democracy. I believe this is an opportunity for change, to orientate our shared values into restoring the foundations of our nation. I believe it is possible to build a united Nigeria devoid of ethnic or religious conflicts; a Nigeria where the well-being of the people is of paramount importance; a Nigeria that inspires the highest level of patriotism in her citizens. I believe that it is possible to ensure justice for the people, the security of lives and property, and the peace and stability which would engender growth and development.

Today, we have a great opportunity to right the wrongs of the past and make meaning of our political independence. We have embarked on this struggle because we believe in the lofty idea that every Nigerian should be proud to call this country home.

This is our chance as young and patriotic Nigerians to make a difference. We do not claim to be the only repository of knowledge and ideas of what this country needs to move forward, but we dare to dream. Come and parley with us so that together can find answers to our problems.

Join us at the Gamji Multipurpose Hall, Hassan Usman Katsina Park (formerly Gamji Gate) Swimming Pool Road, behind Police College in Kaduna on Friday, March 11, at 9.am.

Looking forward to meeting you.

Nuhu Ribadu

Presidential Candidate, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)

By Adeshola Komolafe

Let He who provide solutions to problems be the leader, for leadership these days is rooted in quick wins, and practical deliverables. Today’s form of leadership goes beyond mere experience and the thrust of political arrangements. A leader is that one who looks at the problems around him and instantly fixes them and not those who pay lip services to choking issues by engaging in political flattery. We have transcended beyond such manifestations. The paradigm of are archaic and outdated approach to contemporary leadership has sailed into oblivion.

One name that has continuously remained an occurring decimal in the paradigm of good governance Nigeria is one gentle but proactive fellow called Raji Fashola, the very Governor of Lagos state. Guided by conscience, ideas and passion, this man has greatly harnessed a team that has today changed the misfortune of Lagos state to an admirable level of global reference in terms of leadership excellence, accountable governance and inspiring reference.

So it was my greatest relief when Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria’s embodiment of hope, credence and integrity indicated to run for the president of this great country under the umbrella of the Action Congress of Nigeria. Malam Ribadu’s calculated choice of the Action Congress party of Nigeria is absolutely not far from the incredible achievements of Governor Raji Fashola. Fashola set the mark of excellence and created a legacy that reconciles merit with intellectual creativity and today another refined, youthful, and conscious Nigerian motivated genuine patriotic zeal is on board to replicate the Fashola magic for the whole nation, there is indeed no better time than now.

The name Nuhu Ribadu has become a mark of what service to humanity should be, both in Nigeria and the rest of the world. His life history is a dedication to change and progress. In every facet of his interaction he is a crusader who spread the message of anti-corruption not in his wishes and words but in his actions and decisions. The name encapsulates courage and the will to do what is right no matter the odds. It was these qualities that endeared Nuhu Ribadu to peace loving and change hungry Nigerians both in the country and the Diaspora. During his tenure as the head of the EFCC, he not only brought the crime busting outfit to its rightful place in the world but made it a reference point in economic fighting to the rest of the world. Today, the applause from his days in office is still to abate. He plans to bring this same tenacity to bear on Nigeria and the best way to do that is to vie for the highest office of the land from where he hopes to entrench the culture of accountability and transparency, hallmarks that stands him out from the pack, to bear on the nation.

Being a man for the job at hand, he knows that the marriage of vision, commitment and service to the people can only be possible in a political party with the people’s mandate, coupled with a track record of excellence that even critics agree that the party is one of the best in Africa. The Action Party of Nigeria is the party that represents what Ribadu stands for. The only party that has actually fulfilled its promise to the people. In Lagos State where the party holds sway, crime has been reduced by over 80% since the inception of the Fashola led administration. Not only that, public infrastructure that people thought could never be put back in order, have not only been restructured but Lagos state boasts of the best transport system in the country. The novel BRT transport system has revolutionalised the transport sector in Lagos State and would do same for the comatose state of public transport in the country.

The visibility of the dividends of democracy as seen by the people has put confidence back in the people of Lagos State. Today, the average Lagosian knows that the government meant well and has thus complied to his/her taxes when due. People now queue up to pay their taxes, evidence of the faith reposed in the ACN by Lagosians.

These are just a few of what the party has to offer Nigerians. The party has plans to replicate what it did in Lagos in other parts of the country if voted into office. The Party has a vision that is built on the aspirations of the people of Nigeria and this vision should be a reference guide to everyone who believes in genuine change for Nigeria.

With Nuhu Ribadu new vista of intellectualism, deep rooted patriotism and impeccable personality there is no measuring reference as the credible person to chart a new course of our national history. Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, world most focused, cultivated anti-corruption Czar is on a new course that will transform the real dream of the Nigeria project. Finally, with Malam Nuhu Ribadu at the helm of purposeful governance, we should have disconnected from the generations of our fathers that have ruined and crippled this country to its abyss.